How to Say “Happy Valentine’s Day” in German

Liebe ist in der Luft.

Yes, certainly. When Valentine’s Day approaches, love is in the air.

In the spirit of the season, keep reading to learn some German Valentine’s Day phrases to say before, during and after a date.

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Common German Valentine’s Day Phrases

1. Alles Liebe zum Valentinstag!

English translation: Happy Valentine’s Day!

This is the must-have phrase in your German Valentine’s arsenal.

It doesn’t even matter if you’re in love with the person, because saying this to a perfect stranger is a beautiful way to show that you’re being a friendly, courteous citizen. Of course, we already know that Germans don’t celebrate as commonly as we do—so you might expect a stranger to hesitate for a moment before remembering what day it is.

We also enjoy this simple phrase because you can wake up and surprise your entire family with your love. Say it to your friends, kids, spouse, significant other or parents.

As with all phrases, feel free to mix it up a bit with the following variations:

• Genießen Sie Ihren Valentinstag. (Enjoy your Valentine’s Day!)

• Haben Sie Pläne für den Valentinstag? (Do you have plans for Valentine’s Day?)

2. Möchtest du mein Valentin sein?

English translation: Will you be my Valentine?

Once you’ve learned how to greet any person on the day of love, you may want to ask someone if they’ll be your Valentine. If that’s the case, “Möchtest du mein Valentin sein?” does the trick. This is a charming way to invite a German love interest out on a Valentine’s date. They might be rather excited to get a chance to try out a new holiday from a foreign culture (yours)—especially one with a romantic twist.

Valentine’s day is also a day of gifts, so you may want to say the following:

• Hier ist ein Valentinstag-Karte. (Here’s a Valentine’s Day card.)

• Ich habe Blumen für dich. (I got you flowers.)

3. Ich habe dich lieb.

English translation: I like you very much.

As a relationship moves from giving a gift to maybe going on a date or going out for coffee, it’s nice to suggest that you like the other person. This Ich habe dich lieb phrase works well, and if you’re wondering if the person likes you back, go with Magst du mich? (Do you like me?)

You can also enjoy using sentences like:

• Ich bin in dich verknallt. (I’ve got a crush on you.)

• Du gehst mir nicht aus dem Kopf. (I can’t stop thinking about you.)

4. Wollen wir irgendwann zusammen Abendessen gehen?

English translation: Shall we go out to dinner sometime?

Nothing is more romantic than asking someone out to a delicious dinner.

After all, everyone has to eat, so why not advance your relationship on Valentine’s Day by eating and chatting? Asking someone to go out to dinner shouldn’t be too stressful, so try one of the suggestions below:

• Wollen wir am Valentinstag gemeinsam ausgehen? Shall we got out on Valentine’s Day together?

• Hättest du Lust auf ein Date mit mir? (Would you like to go on a date?)

• Wo möchtest du am Valentinstag gerne hingehen? (Where would you like to go for Valentine’s Day?)

5. Du bedeutest mir sehr viel.

English translation: You mean so much to me.

Sometimes you want to take it to the next level on Valentine’s Day, so it’s wise to say how much the other person means to you. If things are getting really serious, and you’ve never felt like this before, go for “Du bist meine erste große Liebe.“ (You are my first true love.)

6. Du bist so schön.

English translation: You are so handsome/beautiful.

Complimenting someone about their looks is a great way to start the conversation when going out on a date on Valentine’s Day (or any day, really).

Du bist so schön works for both men and women, and there are also several other ways to tell another person you’re attracted to them:

• Du siehst sehr gut aus. (You look very good.)

• Ich mag dein Kleid. (I like your dress.)

• Ich mag dein Shirt. (I like your shirt.)

7. Es war Liebe auf den ersten Blick.

English translation: It was love at first sight. 

Anyone who’s fallen in love knows that people often ask how you met your significant other when Valentine’s Day rolls around. Stating that it was love at first sight is a good way to start your story, but some other phrases include:

• Wir trafen uns am Valentinstag. (We met on Valentine’s Day.)

• Und dann verliebten wir uns in einander. (And then we fell in love.)

• Wir waren für einander bestimmt. (We were meant to be together.)

8. Ich liebe dich.

English translation: I love you.

Here’s one of the big ones, and the phrase is used quite a bit on Valentine’s Day. If you’re interested in learning if someone else loves you, go with this: Liebst du mich? (Do you love me?)

You also might consider statements like:

• Du bist die Liebe meines Lebens. (You are the love of my life.)

• Du bist meine Lieblings-Person. (You are my favorite person.)

9. Willst du mich heiraten?

English translation: Will you marry me?

If you finally get to the point where you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, why not ask them on Valentine’s Day?

People who propose like to add a little spice to the monologue, so consider the following:

• Willst du den Rest deines Lebens mit mir verbringen? (Will you spend the rest of your life with me?)

• Willst du mich zum glücklichsten Mann der Welt machen? (Will you make me the happiest man in the world?)

Some Ways to Practice These Phrases

If you’re looking for some ways to practice these phrases, here are some resources and tips:

• Write them down. Often, writing things down commits them to our memory much quicker than with other methods. Take these phrases and write them each down a couple of times and you’ll probably find yourself remembering them faster in the future.
• Watch romantic films. You can find most, if not all, of these phrases used in romantic films. Associating the expressions with a storyline can help you to grasp when exactly to say them.
• Find audio content that focuses on this topic. There are many different podcasts available that talk about the topic of Valentine’s day and love. Here’s one to get you started!

You can also use learning apps, like Anki or FluentU for building your own flashcard deck. 

 

So, whether you’re bringing a new crush on a date or proposing to the love of your life, Valentine’s Day has tons of opportunities to swoon someone with your German language skills.

Good luck with these German Valentine’s Day phrases!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)